Overall, it was a strong showing for the FIU Panthers, but second-half struggles took them out of contention on Thursday night, as they fell to the LSU Tigers by a final score of 98-81.
“We didn’t come here just to be competitive — we came here to win,” said head coach Jeremy Ballard following the game. “We knew LSU was very talented and very well-coached. They have a style of play we really respect. I have a lot of respect for Coach (Matt) McMahon and the team he’s built. I know they have a lot of new guys who are still figuring things out, but I thought we went out there and gave ourselves a chance.”
Second Half Struggles
It was a strong start for this FIU team in the first half of action, as they held a better field goal and three-point percentage than the Tigers and were just barely outrebounding them.
The Panthers also forced seven turnovers and were kept up with them in points off turnovers, second chance points and points in the paint. The one major downside of those first 20 minutes was FIU going 3-9 from the free-throw line.
In the second half, despite taking better care of the ball, with only four turnovers and going 10-12 from the charity line, LSU came out guns blazing, outrebounding FIU 23-14, with five of those coming in as offensive rebounds.
Just in the second half alone, Michael Nwoko had 11 second-half points, going 4-4 from the field. Along with Nwoko, Marquel Sutton had 10 second-half points, going 2-3 from the three-point line.
Marquel Sutton is a PROBLEM 😦
His third three of the night@xMarquel | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/qJ550p646u
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) November 14, 2025
“I thought we got stops, and while they did hurt us in transition at times, there were moments that felt a little deflating,” Ballard said. “We’d get good looks in the paint, but at this level, if you miss shots at the rim, it often turns into points on the other end — and they did a good job capitalizing on that. We also left a lot of points on the board at the foul line. Those are deflating plays. When you go 0-for-2 at the line or miss the front end of a one-and-one, it’s often more deflating than a turnover, and that happened too often for us tonight. But when we were at our best, we were getting stops, pushing the ball, moving it side to side, and getting paint touches. Those were the things we did well.”
A Career-Night For Corey Stephenson
There’s no question that forward Corey Stephenson was the big ticket get out of the transfer portal for head coach Jeremy Ballard and this FIU team. On Thursday, he became the first player in the program since 2004 to have a stat line of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
He also shot 8-19 from the field and 3-7 from beyond the arc. Stephenson led the team with 33 minutes played. Of Stephenson’s 10 rebounds, eight of them were offensive rebounds. As a team, FIU had 14 total offensive rebounds. On the night, the Panthers made 15 second-chance points.
“Corey (Stephenson) is a young man Panther Nation is going to love,” said Ballard. “He plays with his heart on his sleeve and gives everything he has every time he steps on the court. I’m really proud of him — not surprised in the slightest. He puts in so much time, and he plays hard on every possession. He had eight offensive rebounds against a group of LSU guys who are big, athletic, and active, and he did it with pure effort and desire. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Corey Stephenson is the first FIU player to have 25 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in a game since Ivan Almonte on 12/28/04 (25, 10 & 7 against Ohio).
He’s also the first Panther to lead the team in all those categories in a game this season. pic.twitter.com/SF6mMgQlbV
— FIUSportsInfo (@FIUSportsInfo) November 14, 2025
Support Off The Bench From Julian Mackey
Mackey, who is in his fifth school, has been a spark plug for this Panthers team off the bench. After a strong showing against Nebraska, where he dropped 12 points, shooting 4-7 from the field and 3-4 from the three.
On the defensive side, he also had one steal. Coming off the bench once again against the Tigers, Mackey dropped 24 points, one rebound, three assists, and went 9-13 from the field and 3-6 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Panthers bench outscored LSU’s bench, 36-22.
“He’s so skilled and confident in his abilities, and he really understands how to get to his shots,” Ballard said. “I thought he played with much better pace today on the offensive end. The guys believe in him, and they do a great job finding him. I also thought he was better defensively. In the first half in particular, he was really good off the ball and in our ball-screen coverage. That’s going to be big for us. If we want to be great, we have to be great defensively — on the ball and off the ball. So yeah, I’m proud of him as well.”
Corey Stephenson & Julian Mackey are the first Panthers teammates to each have at least 24 points in a road game since 3/23/19, when Brian Beard Jr. & Devon Andrews each had 29 in an 87-81 win at Texas State. pic.twitter.com/EOgD9pCOzf
— FIUSportsInfo (@FIUSportsInfo) November 14, 2025
The Road Ahead
FIU will head back home to kick off a five-game homestand, which begins on Tuesday, November 18, against Fort Lauderdale at 7:00 pm ET. After that, they will begin the FIU MTE, which will start with a clash against James Madison on Monday, November 24, at 7:00 pm ET and at the end, against Omaha on Wednesday, November 26 at 2:00 pm ET. All games can be streamed on ESPN+.
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